Life's Undercard
Life's Undercard

Author: Michael Joseph Montague

Publisher: Joseph Neuhaus

Published: 2024-01-12

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13:

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Life's Undercard is a gritty and entertaining memoir that chronicles the life experience of a young biracial boy named Michael, growing up in 1940s and 50s Montreal. Born to an Irish prostitute and a Jamaican stevedore, sent to a French Catholic orphanage, and later adopted by a Cherokee woman from Nova Scotia, Michael struggles in a world divided by race, class, and language and finds solace in unlikely places: boxing gyms and pool halls. Michael takes readers on a riveting journey, navigating the subcultures of Montreal; White and Black, French and English, lawful and criminal, all the while revealing his resilience, street-smarts, and natural charm. In the face of discrimination, poverty, and personal challenges, Michael arrives with the reader at an awareness of his place in society. Life's Undercard offers a unique perspective on the complexities of race relations, socioeconomic disparity, and the struggle for identity in mid-20th century Canada. With themes that resonate across generations and cultures, this memoir is an engaging tribute to a child's will to endure.

That's Muhammad Ali's Brother! My Life on the Undercard
That's Muhammad Ali's Brother! My Life on the Undercard

Author: H. Ron Braeshear (co-author)

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2022-08-01

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1634175336

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Many books and movies have been created by telling the story of my brother, Muhammad Ali. However, before I am called home, I want to share some of my life stories and memories with this book so people can learn more about my family, my brother, and me through the eyes of a member of the Clay/Ali family. I was there from the beginning and witnessed first-hand how our family s lives were changed as 'The Greatest of all Time' emerged from being a fun-loving kid on the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, to becoming an icon recognized around the world. The memories I share in this book are ones that I will treasure forever. Living through these experiences helped shape my life and made me the man I am today. I can say for a fact that no other man took as many punches from the champ as I did as a result of the training and sparring sessions that we had over the years together. It is my hope that after reading my story and accounts of key events in my family's life, you will walk away with an even greater appreciation of the Clay/Ali family name, history and legacy. I encourage you to treasure each day and strive for your own personal greatness. Peace be upon you (As-salamu alaykum) Rahaman Ali a.k.a. Rudolph Arnett Clay

The Last Great Fight
The Last Great Fight

Author: Joe Layden

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2008-10-28

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9780312353315

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It is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of boxing: James "Buster" Douglas knocked out then-undefeated and seemingly invincible Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson in the tenth round in 1990. The Last Great Fight takes readers not only behind the scenes of this epic battle, but inside the lives of two men, their ambitions, their dreams, the downfall of one and the rise of another. Using his exclusive interviews with both Tyson and Douglas, family members, the referee, the cutmen, trainers and managers, commentators and HBO staff covering the fight in Tokyo, Layden has crafted a human drama played out on a large stage. This is a compelling tale of shattered dreams and, ultimately, redemption.

Undercard
Undercard

Author: David Albertyn

Publisher: House of Anansi

Published: 2019-02-19

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1487004818

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Set over the course of twenty-four exhilarating hours, Undercard is the story of four childhood friends, now in their early thirties, unexpectedly reunited by a high-profile prizefight in a Las Vegas casino... and an even higher-profile murder. When Tyron Shaw returns to his hometown of Las Vegas after eleven years in the Marines, he’s surprised to discover that two of his best friends from childhood are all anyone is talking about: Antoine Deco, three years out of prison, hasn’t lost a boxing match since his release, and tonight is fighting in the undercard to the fight of the decade; and Keenan Quinn, a police officer who killed an unarmed teenager and escaped punishment from the courts, is the subject of a protest tomorrow morning. Tyron has trouble reconciling either story with his memory of these men, and the situation escalates when he runs into the love of his life, Naomi Wilks, a retired WNBA player, basketball coach, and estranged wife of Keenan. As Tyron reconnects with his old community, he will learn over the next twenty-four hours that much has changed since he left Las Vegas... and there is much more that he never understood. The Reef, an aquarium-themed casino and the hottest resort on the Strip, is the backdrop for this bullet-paced narrative, where loyalty to one’s friends, one’s family, and one’s community are ever at odds, and every choice has deadly repercussions.

Fighting for My Life
Fighting for My Life

Author: Mia St. John

Publisher: Post Hill Press

Published: 2021-12-21

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1642938270

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Mia St. John has always been on top of her game. A five-time world champion boxer known as The Knockout because of her ability to level any opponent charging toward her, Mia spent two decades in the spotlight transforming her body into the ultimate fighting machine. But what most people don’t know is that outside the ring, she was battling a lifetime of demons while struggling to keep her family together. Born to a Mexican mother and white father, she spent her young life feeling like an outsider while growing up in Idaho. She fled to California as soon as she was eighteen and left behind the abuse that came with an alcoholic father. Determined to show everyone she was a champion, Mia moved to Los Angeles to follow her dreams—and ended up meeting the love of her life, television star Kristoff St. John. Together, they created a beautiful family with their children, Julian and Paris, while doing their best to battle their own bouts with addiction. Mia’s memoir takes readers through her odyssey of grief and despair, but always the fighter, Mia gets up once again and shows the world how to face another day with dignity and determination to live the best life possible.

Enzo Calzaghe - A Fighting Life
Enzo Calzaghe - A Fighting Life

Author: Michael Perlman

Publisher: James Haworth

Published: 2011-09-01

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 1905080530

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He is the genius behind the genius. Enzo never fought in the ring, but he still turned his son Joe into one of the top ten boxers on the planet - a World Champion with a record of 46 unbeaten fights. Now Enzo tells the extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of his flamboyant career and the making of a fighting legend. It is much more than a round-by-round tale of ropes and gloves, and grit and glory. For the first time, Enzo opens the family album and discloses intimate details of his bruising upbringing in Sardinia, where the Mafia lurked on every corner and his father practiced 'tough love'. He talks of fleeing Italy to hitch-hike and busk his way around Europe. He charts his improbable rise from slaving as a waiter cum-cook in a seaside restaurant to support many big name chart stars such as Shirely Bassey. Not only does it provide a unique insight into the father and son relationship that conquered boxing, but also shows how the heart and determination of one self-made man serves as an example for anyone who craves success and is prepared to overcome near-impossible odds to achieve it. 'I'm a life fighter,' he says. This book proves it.

A Fighting Life
A Fighting Life

Author: Lou Duva

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-06-28

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1613218761

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For more than seven decades, Lou Duva has been a mainstay in the boxing world. With his craggy face and the bulbous nose of a boxer with questionable defensive skills, Duva is one of the most enduring images of boxing, having climbed in and out of rings for championship fights on six different continents. In Lou Duva: A Fighting Life, you’ll hear firsthand the exhilarating story of how Duva balanced family life and his work with nineteen different world champions. The son of Italian immigrants who landed at Ellis Island and lived in Manhattan before moving the family to Paterson, New Jersey, Duva had the odds stacked against him. Rather than settling, Duva was able to claw his way out of poverty to reach the pinnacle of the boxing business, where he laid the foundation of Main Events Promotions—one of the most powerful boxing promotions companies in the sport. Lou Duva: A Fighting Life chronicles an amazing boxing career filled with ups and downs. From his training of champions including Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis to staging some of the biggest bouts in the history of boxing, including the classic match between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, to the notorious “Riot at the Garden,” Duva pulls no punches as he shares his Hall of Fame life for the first time. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

My Life Among the Icons
My Life Among the Icons

Author: Johnny Ortiz

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2011-07-26

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 1463419023

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His connection at age fifteen with L.A.'s most notorious gangster, his sinister lifestyle while working for a renowned private investigator, Johnny Ortiz's exciting life involved close friendships with Hollywood superstars and sports champions. In Palm Springs he mingled with the Rat Pack; in Las Vegas he attended celebrity-ridden parties; in Los Angeles the saloons he owned became a hangout for sports figures and famous actors. Champions worked out at his legendary Main St. Gym and most of Hollywood's top boxing movie gym scenes were filmed there including the first three Rocky movies. In his revealing reminiscences Ortiz fondly relates previously untold stories of celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Henry Fonda, Antonio Banderas, Woody Harrelson, Robert Mitchum, Lynda Carter, Olivia De Havilland, Bette Davis, Jackie Gleason, Ben Johnson, Dorothy Lamour, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Lenny Bruce, Cliff Gorman, Phil Crosby, and John Drew Barrymore, along with sports icons like Muhammad Ali, O.J. Simpson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Rocky Marciano, and Joe Louis. Johnny Ortiz has been a fighter, trainer, manager, boxing historian and a twelve year host of his own radio show. He is a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, has numerous TV and film credits, and is also an accomplished stage actor. In 1999, he completed his role opposite Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson in the film, Play It To The Bone. In 2001, director Michael Mann cast him in the Will Smith movie, Ali.

Fight Sports and the Church
Fight Sports and the Church

Author: Richard Wolff

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2021-02-12

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 147667387X

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Fighting sports may seem at odds with Christian tradition, yet modern ministries have embraced them as a means for evangelism and social outreach. While news media often sensationalize fighting sports, churches see them as a way to appeal to male congregants, presenting a peace-loving yet tough model of discipleship. From martial arts programs at suburban churches to urban boxing ministries geared towards at-risk youth, this book examines the substantial history of church sponsored training in combat sports, and presents arguments by Christian ethicists about their compatibility with church teachings and settings. Interviews with boxing and martial arts ministry leaders describe their programs and the relationship between fight sports and faith.

The Sporting Life
The Sporting Life

Author: Bill Barich

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-07-19

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 1510706976

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Bill Barich’s widely praised work is at its peak in these intimate glimpses into the stories behind the stories, the real people behind the public façade of the athletic realm. In this collection, Barich takes readers behind the scenes of both participatory and spectator sports, whose wide variety include: Three different types of horse racing: down-and-dirty bush racing in Cajun country; an elegant steeplechase at Ascot, England; and a big-time Santa Anita thoroughbred heading for the Kentucky Derby. Two boxers from radically different ends of the spectrum: Pat Lawlor struggling to make it in San Francisco, and Mike Tyson battling his emotions. Two fly-fishing adventures on legendary California rivers. And a ride with the Moscow Red Devils, the world’s strangest baseball club, as they barnstorm the United States with Soviet trinkets for sale, and with technical skills equal to that of a good American high school team. Every chapter shines with Barich’s distinctive voice, one that skillfully pairs both passion and intelligence with an ample dose of humor. The result is the very best kind of sports writing—from one of the most elegant prose stylists of our time. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.